Orangeburg Massacre: South Carolina and National Response to Tragedy

Representative James E. Clyburn sits down with South Carolina ETV to talk about the country and South Carolina's response to the Orangeburg Massacre.

Clyburn also compares how the Kent State shooting of 1970, which occurred two years after the Orangeburg Massacre, received far more attention and outcry from the public.

On February 8, 1968, SCSU students started a bonfire on the front of campus which is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. As police and firefighters attempted to put out the fire, officer David Shealy was injured by a thrown object. As a result, South Carolina Highway Patrol officers fired shots at the protestors. Three young men were killed and many students were injured.

The Orangeburg Massacre: Remembrances and Reckoningaired Feb. 8 at 9:00 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 6:00 p.m. on ETV. This SCETV follow-up special commemorates the 50th anniversary of this tragic event, as survivors, participants and officials share their remembrances and struggle to provide some sense of reckoning and hopes for closure.